Bath system

ABSTRACT

A bath environment, such as a tub or shower, has a seat upon which a user sits, and a first panel, usually glass, for enclosing a first portion of the bath environment proximal to the seat. The first panel has a width roughly correlated to a width of the seat to allow a user easy access to the seat and to the panel to manipulate the panel. The invention also has a second panel for enclosing a second portion of the bath environment. The second panel has a hinge and a pair of partitions connected by the hinge so that the partitions pivot about the hinge to allow access to the bath environment distal from the seat. Also included is a stanchion that is disposed on and extends upwardly from an outer edge of the bath environment to a given height. The first panel has a length that extends downwardly from an upper region of the bath environment and ends at the height of the stanchion.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.61/189,054 filed Aug. 15, 2008. Cross reference is made to copendingU.S. patent applications Ser. No. 12/533,046 entitled “Bath System”;Ser. No. 12/533,094 entitled “Bath System”; Ser. No. 12/533,103 entitled“Bath System”; Ser. No. 12/533,238 entitled “Bath System”; Ser. No.12/533,293 entitled “Bath System”; Ser. No. 12/533,404 entitled “BathSystem”.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Bath showers and tubs have many features. Some baths and showers includeseats and benches. Some seats are fixed to the interior of tubs andshowers. Other seats are arranged on slides to allow a user to, inessence, ride the seat from the exterior of a tub to the interior of thetub and back.

Showers typically have a threshold over which a user must step to enterinto a shower. The threshold typically serves to keep water fromescaping from the shower.

Some bath and shower fixtures attach grab bars thereto to provide handholds for users.

Both shower and shower/bath fixtures use doors, typically glass, andcurtains, typically plastic, to keep water from escaping from the showerenclosure during use.

Some bath and shower units provide shelves for storage of bath materialssuch as soap, shampoo, toys and the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, a bath environment, such as a tub or shower,has a seat upon which a user sits, and a first panel, usually glass, forenclosing a first portion of the bath environment proximal to the seat.The first panel has a width roughly correlated to a width of the seat toallow a user easy access to the seat and to the panel to manipulate thepanel. The invention also has a second panel for enclosing a secondportion of the bath environment.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a second panel is includedthat has a hinge and a pair of partitions connected by the hinge so thatthe partitions pivot about the hinge to allow access to the bathenvironment distal from the seat.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the bath environmentalso includes a stanchion that is disposed on and extends upwardly froman outer edge of the bath environment to a given height. The first panelhas a length that extends downwardly from an upper region of the bathenvironment and ends at the height of the stanchion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the present invention can be best understoodfrom the following specification and drawings, the following of which isa brief description.

FIG. 1 illustrates a plan view of a shower surround;

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a handheld showerhead mounted toa handrail;

FIG. 3 illustrates a top perspective view of a shower surround;

FIG. 4 illustrates a shower surround according to another non-limitingembodiment;

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of the shower chair of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 illustrates another schematic embodiment of the shower chairshown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 illustrates a plan view of another embodiment of a shower chairshown in a shower surround;

FIGS. 8, 8A and 8B illustrate a shower surround showing an embodiment ofa shower bench;

FIG. 9 illustrates a top view of a shower surround of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 illustrates a plan view of a tub surround;

FIG. 11 illustrates another plan view of a shower and tub surround;

FIG. 12 illustrates a top plan view of the shower and tub surround ofFIG. 11;

FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a shower andtub surround including a storage compartment;

FIG. 14 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a the storagecompartment of FIG. 13; and

FIG. 15 illustrates a phantom view of the storage compartment of FIG.14;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a shower surround 20 that includes apair of grab bars 25(a-b) against a back wall 30 of the shower, a grabbar 35 at each end wall 40 of the shower, a floor 45 incorporating azero threshold drain 50, a knee wall 55 in the back wall 30 of theshower and a pair of shower doors 60 is illustrated. A fixed showerhead63 may also be provided in or above one end of the shower surround 20.

At the back wall 30 of the shower 20, there is a vertically placed grabbar 25 a and a cathedral shaped grab bar 25 b. Similarly, grab bars 35are placed on end wall 40 to provide hand holds for a user. Thecathedral shaped grab bar 25 b is placed in a recess 70 in the back wall30, the cathedral-shaped grab bar having a bottom portion 75, twoupwardly extending leg portions 80, and an arcuate section 85 connectingthe tops of the two leg portions is placed therein. The grab bars areattached to end and side walls 30, 40 by means known in the art bymounts 102 (see FIG. 2).

As may be seen in FIG. 1, a hand-held shower head is appended to thecathedral shaped grab bar 25 b to enable a user to hold a shower head inthe desired position and wash himself as will be described hereinbelow.The hand-held shower head may also be appended to grab bars 35 and 25 a.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it is seen that the hand-held shower head 90 isheld by conventional means (93) on a bracket 95 which has a clampingmechanism 100. The clamping mechanism creates a friction fit with a grabbar and be either a flexible plastic piece having legs 101 that willgrasp the grab bar and be flexible enough to be removed from the grabbar and still grab the grab bar, or a screw-down mechanism 102, as isknown in the art, that will hold the bracket in place on thecathedral-shaped grab bar 25 b (or other grab bar 25 having a samediameter as grab bar 25 b) so that the bracket may be disposed in anyposition a user deems necessary along that grab bar. The clampingmechanism 100 engages at least partially around handrail 25 b so as topermit movement of the legs 101. That is, the handheld showerhead 90 mayslide from post to post around the entirety of the handrail/grab bars 25b to thereby position the handheld showerhead 90 at any position. If auser wishes to position the handheld showerhead 90 around a second pairof posts 90, the clamping mechanism 102 must be detached and reattachedtherearound. By appending the hand-held to the cathedral-shaped grabbar, a user may then place the shower head in the ideal place to washand rinse herself. It should be understood that the handrail may beconfigured with particular radiuses and shapes, even in the z-axis (seeFIG. 3) so as to permit this slideable movement. Furthermore, it shouldbe understood that the handrail/grab bars 25, 35 may be of variousconfigurations, shapes, orientations, and arrangements other than thatillustrated herein to place the grab bar 25 b both ideally to support auser and to place a shower head. The arcuate section 85 may extend intothe shower 20 (see FIG. 3).

By integrating the shower head with the grab bars, a user may understandthat he can hold the shower head support if desired while manipulatingthe shower head because the shower head support is the grab bar.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the shower surround 20 includes the floor 45that inclines slightly towards the integral drain 50 that is flush withthe floor 45 of the shower and the floor 105 of the bathroom. Theincline is slight so a wheel chair will not be impeded by the steepnessof incline if entering the shower surround. The drain 50 has a pluralityof slots and grooves 110 that are roughly transverse to an axis 115 ofthe drain so that water flowing from the shower floor 45 does not have astraight path to the bathroom floor 105 to minimize flow from the showerto the bathroom floor 105. The drain and floor 45 create no thresholdbarrier that a user has to step over or that would likely impede accessor egress to the shower 20. One of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that the slots 110 may have different shapes or frequency tominimize the flow of water from the floor 45 to floor 105 of thebathroom.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, an embodiment of a chair 125 that isdesigned for use in the shower 20 are shown. The chair 125 shown in FIG.4 is comprised of a seat 130, a seat back 135, a stabilizing bracket140, a spring 143 attached to the stabilizing bracket 140, a pair oflegs 150, a weight distribution support 155 and support arms 160.

The stabilizing bracket 140 is attached to the upper back 165 of theseat back 135 (see FIG. 5) by conventional means like screws or brads(not shown) or is integral therewith (see FIG. 6). The brackets have anarcuate portion 170 that has a diameter that is greater than a diameterof grab bars 35 and that curves less than 180° so that the bracket 140and the chair 125 thereby are removably attached to the grab bars 25 a,25 b, or 35. The brackets do not support the weight of a user but serveto prevent the chair 125 from tipping forward. The spring 143 is alsoattached to the bracket or is integral therewith and tends to resistforce that pushes the spring back to the bracket. The weight of the useris transferred from the seat 130 to the floor 45 via legs 150 and weightdistribution support 155.

The seat back is attached to the legs 150 by means of support arms 160which attach to the seat back below the stabilizing bracket 140 byconventional means and attach to a mid portion 175 of legs 150 also byconventional means. The seat has a pair of downwardly depending flanges180 which conventionally attach to the legs 150 while allowing the seatto pivot thereabout. The legs 150 conventionally attach at their lowerend to the weight distribution support 155 that serves to distribute theweight of a user across a greater area of the shower floor 45 tominimize the ends of the legs from damaging the floor 45.

The chair 125 is made of water resistant material like plastic, wood ormetal. As shown in FIG. 5, the seat has a plastic seat with awater-resistant foam top for user comfort. The chair 125 shown in FIG. 7is all plastic with slots 182 to allow for water run-off and quickdrying. Also, the slots 182 in seat 125 are hygienically designed toallow a user to wash his or her undersides (not shown) without unduemovement by directing spray from under the seat to that underside area.The slots tend to be wider at a user's underside portions to allowcleaning thereof.

To use the chair, one places the bracket 140 over a grab bar 25 whiledepressing the spring 143 to allow the grab bar 35 to nestle within thearcuate portion 170, locates the weight distribution support 155 andflips down the seat 130. When not in use, a user simply flips up theseat 130 and leaves the chair in place. If more space is necessary, orthe chair needs cleaning, a user simply flips up the seat and, becauseof the dimensions of the arcuate portion 170, simply depresses thespring 143 and lifts the chair and the bracket 140 up over the bar forremoval. The spring minimizes the probability that the chair will bepushed off the bracket when it is not intended to remove the chair. Ifthe chair is lifted or pushed upwardly, the spring catches the grab bar35 and prevents removal of the chair from the grab bar. One of ordinaryskill in the art will recognize that other types of devices such asclamps, flexible over-center grips and the like may be used to preventthe removal of the chair if not desired by a user.

Referring now to FIG. 7, another embodiment of a chair is shown. Similarto FIGS. 4-6, the chair 125 is comprised of a seat 130, a seat back 135,and a stabilizing bracket 140. However, the seat back also has: a pairof legs 150 whereby the seat back and legs are integrally formed; pairof horizontally disposed flanges 185 extending therefrom; and aplurality of horizontal slots 190 that increase in width from the top ofthe seat back to the bottom thereof both to allow water to drain and topresent an appealing design. The legs 150 are wider at the bottom todistribute the weight of a user across a greater area of the showerfloor 45 to minimize damage thereto. The seat 130 is conventionallyattached to the flanges 185 to allow the seat to pivot upwardly. Thestabilizing bracket 140 acts like the seat bracket as shown in FIGS.4-6. It does not support the weight of a user and allows for easyremoval of the chair from the any of the grab bars at the appropriateheight, e.g., 25 b, 35, because the arcuate portion 170 of thestabilizing bracket is less than 180° and has a diameter that is greaterthan the diameter of the grab bars as stated herein above.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a shower surround 195 according to anothernon-limiting embodiment is illustrated. The shower surround 195 includesa zero threshold drain 50, a knee-wall 205, a bench seat 210, and apedestal 215 disposed at the front of the shower surround.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a top view of the shower surround of FIG. 8 isshown. The pedestal 215 is essentially a rectangular solid, but as oneof ordinary skill in the art will recognize, the pedestal may have othershapes and decorative features so long as it can support the bench seat210. The pedestal may be either permanently affixed to the shower floor45 or may be removable therefrom to enable a user to have more room inthe shower 195. The knee wall may have a longitudinal portion 220 thatjuts away from the back wall 225 and the rest of the knee wall so thatbench seat 210 is supported by the longitudinal area 220 and thepedestal 215. The pedestal may also fit in groove 227 shown in FIG. 8.FIG. 9 also shows a slot 320 in which a shower curtain may slide tominimize water splashing out of the shower if the hinge 222 for benchseat 210 is attached to the bench seat and a tub wall (not shown.

The bench seat may either sit on the longitudinal portion 220 of theknee wall and the pedestal 215 and thereby be easily removed from theshower surround 195 if desired, or may be fixedly hinged as shown inFIG. 9 or hinged via an integrated, arcuate portion 230 that fits into acorresponding arcuate recess 231 in pedestal 215 and knee-wall 205. Thearcuate recess 231 is less than 180° so that the parts can be easilyseparated. One of ordinary skill can appreciated that the arcuateportion and arcuate recess can be in either of the seat or the knee-walland the pedestal. A user would then be able to flip the bench seat up(or down) and out of the way, or removed by separating the pieces 230and 231 from each other, if more space is desired. As with other seatsdisclosed herein, the seat may be slotted to allow for hygiene and waterrunoff; padded for user comfort; and, have other decorative andfunctional features. Also as noted herein, the bench seat 210 may bemanufactured of wood, metal or other suitable material.

The bench seat 205 is generally flush with a pedestal 215 when flippeddown (FIG. 8) or on top of the pedestal (see FIG. 8 a) to allow a userto easily slide his bottom across the pedestal and sit on the bench seat205.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 8( b), there are typically shower curtains (notshown) or translucent doors 240, 245 (see the Figures) to minimizesplashing or other flows of water onto the showerroom floor. Door 240 iseither a single panel or a bi-fold that prevents the flow of water ontothe bathroom floor between the shower sidewall away from the bench seatby extending above shower head 90 (see FIG. 8). The other door 245covers area at the back of the shower closest to the bench seat so thata user or an aide may have easy access to the bench seat. Door 245typically has a narrower width than door 240. The door 240, if abi-fold, facilitates access into the shower surround 195 while a swingout door 245 is located adjacent the bench seat 205. The doors 240, 245are readily accessed from a seated position. For instance, a user canopen door 245 and door 240 from a wheelchair, slide himself across tobench seat 205, reach to close door 245 which is close because of itsrelatively short horizontal width and grasp a bar 290 disposed on thebi-fold door 240 and pull door 240 closed. The user is now free to usethe close controls 295. It can be seen at FIG. 8 that the 210 seat uponwhich a user may sits has its entire width W extending along a frontedge (e.g., integral drain 50) and that the shower head 90 is disposedabove the seat 210 such that a user may be covered by water passing fromsaid shower head 90. It can also be seen from FIG. 8 that the door 245encloses an area 301 that is in registration with a top 298 of thepedestal and the width W of the seat 210 and that extends above the seatto an area 302 above the shower head 90. The door 245 has a widthcorrelated to the width W of the seat 210 to allow a user easy access tothe seat and to the door 245 to manipulate the door 245. Door 245encloses a third area 303 extending below the top edge of the seat andadjacent the second area.

According to an embodiment of this invention, the door 245 need onlyextend down to a top 298 of the pedestal thereby reducing the weight andcost of the door. In this embodiment, the pedestal and the shorter doorcooperate (see abutted doors 40, 45 shown in FIG. 1) to minimize waterescaping from the shower surround. The doors 240, 245 are in plane witheach other if closed (see FIGS. 1 and 8) and define a front of saidshower surround 20 (e.g., the environment). The pedestal 215 is inroughly in plane with door 245 is closed (see FIGS. 1 and 8).

Referring now to FIG. 10, a shower/bath enclosure 300 is shown. Theenclosure 300 includes an integral access bench 305 which extends froman outside wall 310 of the enclosure 300. The integral access bench isabout 18″ high to accommodate the usual height of wheel chairs whichtend to be between 17 and 19 inches in height. The shower/bath enclosureis shown here as a shower but may also be used as a tub (see dottedlines 313 in FIG. 10). The enclosure may further include a flip-up seat315 as is taught herein. The access bench 305 is shown as an integrallymolded portion having a half-circular sitting area 325. One of ordinaryskill in the art will recognize that the access bench may be ofdifferent sizes and shapes to improve the esthetics and functionalitythereof as long as the access bench allows a user to sit on the bench,pivot, and slide over to the bench seat while lifting ones legs over thesurround wall, if any, and thereby be enabled to use the shower. One ofordinary skill in the art will also recognize that the doors 240, 245may also be used herein instead of a shower curtain to enable a user totake advantage of the short door 245 and the door 240 and still haveeasy access to both as taught hereinabove. Also, the slots 182 in seat315 are hygienically designed to allow a user to wash his or her bottomarea (not shown) without undue movement by directing spray from underthe seat to that bottom area.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, a tub surround 350 is illustrated andincludes a transfer bench 355, a head rest/pillow 360, and armrests 365.Arm rests 365 jut inwardly towards the interior of the tub surround 350from front wall 370 and back wall 380, and a sloping back rest 385. Thehead rest/pillow 390 is attached to a top portion 395 (see FIG. 12) ofthe back rest 385. A seat 400 has a pair of side arms 405 that attach tothe front wall 370 and back wall 380 by conventional means 410 so thatthe seat 400 may pivot up and out of the way if more room is desired inthe tub surround 350. The seat 400 also has a pair of downwardlydisplaced flanges 403 that rest on the armrests 365 The arm rests 365also function as a support of the seat 400 via the flanges 403 when theseat is not pivoted up and if the user desires to sit thereupon. The armrests and seat cooperate so that, when the seat is pivoted down, theseat is essentially flush with the front wall 370 so a user can slideacross the front wall onto the seat if desired.

The arm rests 365 are contoured to mimic a comfortable position for auser's arms and, therefore, one will recognize that one of ordinaryskill in the art may choose other shapes and contours as long as the armrests conform with the seat to provide a surface that is comfortablyflush with the front wall 370. The side arms 405 of the seat 400 extendpast the sides of a pillow 360 when the seat is pivoted down so that thepillow 390 can be placed in an ideal position behind the seat (see FIG.11) to support a user's head when the seat is pivoted upwardly and notinterfere with the seat when the seat is pivoted downwardly atop the armrests 365.

The seat 400 may be spaced from the front wall 370 by a dimension thatallows a shower curtain room to pass between the front wall and the seatto minimize an amount of water from escaping from the tub surround 350(see FIG. 9). One of ordinary skill in the art will also recognize thatthe doors 240, 245 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 8( b) may also be used hereininstead of a shower curtain to enable a user to take advantage of thefunctionality of the doors 245 and 240 and still have easy access to theshower surround as taught hereinabove.

Referring to FIGS. 13-15, a tub and shower surround 425 according toanother non-limiting embodiment is illustrated. Because the front wall430 is relatively low, about 14 inches high, as compared to a normal tubhaving a wall that is about 18 inches high, to allow easier access tothe tub and shower surround 425, water may not cover a user comfortablywhen bathing especially given the height of normal overflow drains(shown in phantom 435) placed under a tub spout 430. Normal overflowdrains allow water to be about 13 inches deep in a full tub. Accordingto this invention, overflowing water accesses a drain 440 though aplurality of scuppers 445 across the top of the water side of the side,front or rear walls of the tub and shower surround. Because the scuppersare at the top of the walls beginning about 13 inches from the bottom ofthe tub, the water in the tub and shower surround is as deep as a normaltub to give a user a comfortable and similar soak even though the frontwall is only about 14 inches high. The ratio of the height of a tub wallto the depth of water in a normal tub is 18 inches to 13 inches or about1.38. The ratio of the height of a tub wall to the depth of water in thetub of the invention is 14 inches to 13 inches or about 1.08.

The drain 440 is disposed within a cavity 450 in the front wall 430 (orother wall) of the bath and shower surround and has enough volume tostore goods such as soap, shampoo, bath toys and other items deemednecessary or preferable for the bathing experience. The bottom walls 455of the cavity are sloped towards the drain 440 to allow for completedrainage in the event of an overflow condition. The cavity 440 may havea pivotable cover 460 that closes for esthetics and to give easy accessto the tub and shower surround 425. The cover should be flush with thetop of the front wall so as not to provide an impediment to entering orexiting the tub. It should be understood that the cavity 450 mayincorporate various other devices such as shower controls, separatehandheld showers 455 that may be plumbed into the cavity as is known inthe art, soap dispensers, as well as other devices (not shown).

The adjacent scuppers form a plurality of corbels 465 that are designedto support the cover if it is closed. The cover 465 may be relativelyrigid to operate as a transfer seat or other support.

It should be understood that like reference numerals identifycorresponding or similar elements throughout the several drawings. Itshould also be understood that although a particular componentarrangement is disclosed in the illustrated embodiment, otherarrangements will benefit herefrom.

The foregoing description is exemplary rather than defined by thelimitations within. Various non-limiting embodiments are disclosedherein, however, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize thatvarious modifications and variations in light of the above teachingswill fall within the scope of the appended claims. It is therefore to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims, the inventionmay be practiced other than as specifically described. For that reasonthe appended claims should be studied to determine true scope andcontent.

What is claimed is:
 1. A shower environment comprising: a seat uponwhich a user sits in said shower environment; a first door that istranslucent for enclosing a first portion of said shower environmentproximal to said seat, said first door having a width correlated to awidth of said seat to allow a user easy access to said seat and to saidfirst door to manipulate said first door, said first door extendingupwardly from a seat top such that water from a shower does not sprayout of said shower environment, said first door not extending downwardlyfrom said seat top; a second door that is translucent, separate fromsaid first door, and in plane with each other if said doors are closed,said second door for enclosing a second portion of said showerenvironment; and wherein the shower environment is defined by at least aback wall, a pair of side walls facing each other, and an open frontthat is enclosed by the first and second doors, and wherein the widthsof the seat and the first translucent door are defined in a directionextending between the pair of side walls.
 2. The shower environment ofclaim 1 wherein said first door has a grip for closing and opening saidfirst door.
 3. The shower environment of claim 1 wherein said seconddoor comprises: a hinge; and a pair of partitions connected by saidhinge wherein said partitions pivot about said hinge to allow access tosaid shower environment distal from said seat.
 4. The shower environmentof claim 3 wherein a partition closest to said seat has a width roughlycorrelated to a width of said seat to allow a user easy access to saidpartition to close said second door.
 5. The shower environment of claim1 further comprising: a pedestal disposed on and extending upwardly froman outer portion of said shower environment to a given height whereinsaid pedestal is roughly in plane with said second door.
 6. The showerenvironment of claim 5 wherein said first door has a length that extendsdownwardly from an upper region of said shower environment and ends atsaid height of said pedestal.
 7. The shower environment of claim 5wherein said pedestal supports said seat.
 8. The shower environment ofclaim 1 wherein the width of the first door is at least as great as thewidth of the seat.
 9. The shower environment of claim 1 including apedestal disposed at the front of the shower environment, wherein thepedestal supports the seat.
 10. The shower environment of claim 9wherein the back wall includes a longitudinal portion projectingoutwardly from the back wall, the longitudinal portion supporting a sideof the seat opposite from the pedestal, and wherein the seat isselectively moveable relative to the pedestal and longitudinal portionbetween a use position and a stowed position.
 11. A shower environmentcomprising: a seat upon which a user sits in said shower environment; afirst door that is translucent for enclosing a first portion of saidshower environment proximal to said seat, said first door having a widthcorrelated to a width of said seat to allow a user easy access to saidseat and to said first door to manipulate said first door, said firstdoor extending upwardly from a seat top such that water from a showerdoes not spray out of said shower environment said first door notextending downwardly from said seat top; and a second door that istranslucent, separate from said first door and in plane with each otherif said doors are closed, for enclosing a second portion of said showerenvironment, wherein said second door comprises a hinge and a pair ofpartitions connected by said hinge, wherein said partitions pivot aboutsaid hinge to allow access to said shower environment distal from saidseat, and wherein said second door is greater in length from its bottomto its top than said first door.
 12. A shower environment, saidenvironment comprising: a seat upon which a user sits in saidenvironment, said seat having its entire width extending along a frontof the shower environment, a shower head for disposal above a user, anddisposed above said seat such that a user may be covered by waterpassing from said shower head, a first translucent door enclosing afirst area of said environment that is in registration with atop edgeand said entire width of said seat at said front and that extends abovesaid seat to a second area above said shower head, said firsttranslucent door having a width correlated to said entire width of saidseat to allow a user easy access to said seat and to said door tomanipulate said door; and a second translucent door for enclosing athird area of said shower environment, said third area of saidenvironment extending below said top edge of said seat and adjacent saidsecond area wherein said first translucent door and said secondtranslucent door disposed with each other in plane cooperate to minimizewater escaping from the shower surround and wherein said firsttranslucent door and said second translucent door define said front ofsaid environment.
 13. The shower environment of claim 12 wherein theshower environment is defined by at least a back wall, a pair of sidewalls, and an open front that is enclosed by the first and secondtranslucent doors, and wherein the widths of the seat and the firsttranslucent door are defined in a direction extending between the pairof side walls.
 14. The shower environment of claim 13 wherein the widthof the first translucent door is at least as great as the width of theseat.
 15. The shower environment of claim 14 including a pedestaldisposed at the front of the shower environment, wherein the pedestalsupports the seat.
 16. The shower environment of claim 15 wherein theback wall includes a knee wall having a longitudinal portion projectingoutwardly from the back wall, the longitudinal portion supporting a sideof the seat opposite from the pedestal.
 17. The shower environment ofclaim 16 wherein the seat is selectively moveable relative to thepedestal and longitudinal portion between a use position and a stowedposition.
 18. The shower environment of claim 16 wherein the seat isflush with a top surface of the pedestal.
 19. The shower environment ofclaim 12 wherein the seat includes a plurality of slots extendingentirely through a thickness of the seat from a top surface of the seatto a bottom surface of the seat.
 20. A shower environment comprising: aseat upon which a user sits in said shower environment, wherein the seatincludes a plurality of slots extending entirely through a thickness ofthe seat from a top surface of the seat to a bottom surface of the seat;a first door that is translucent for enclosing a first portion of saidshower environment proximal to said seat, said first door having a widthcorrelated to a width of said seat to allow a user easy access to saidseat and to said first door to manipulate said first door, said firstdoor extending upwardly from a seat top such that water from a showerdoes not spray out of said shower environment, said first door notextending downwardly from said seat top; and a second door that istranslucent, separate from said first door, and in plane with each otherif said doors are closed, said second door for enclosing a secondportion of said shower environment.